Juxtaposition
by trufflemores
Summary: On one sleepless night, Kurt pauses to reflect on how lucky he is - and what his life used to be like. Klaine. COMPLETE.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Glee or any of its characters; Ryan Murphy and Co. hold that honor. I'm simply writing this for fun, not profit.

Kurt remembered a time before Blaine.

He could easily recall a time when he didn't have to worry about leaving a light on after he fell asleep so that Blaine could find his way across the apartment safely late at night.

He could also bring to mind mornings spent in pleasant solitude, humming as he showered and finished his moisturizing routine without once crinkling his nose in displeasure because Blaine had left the cap off the toothpaste _again _or simply forgotten to toss his laundry in the hamper (because no matter what he said the floor was _not _an acceptable substitute, even if it was clean).

He could even pick out the moments when he would have chosen a different movie, a lengthier read, or a night-in instead one of their more elaborate alternatives, except that Blaine always made him want to be a little _more, _thoughtful, outgoing, adventurous.

Now he couldn't fall asleep until he knew that Blaine was safe; some nights, he couldn't do more than shut his eyes and wait until Blaine was home, curling sleepily into Kurt's arms at the end of a long day as though they'd been made to fit together. Recipes were always made for two, sometimes three (in the case of desserts), and their answering machine asked that the caller leave a message for _them._ They were a pair, a unit, a team. Their grievances were mutually felt, their triumphs mutually shared.

Pain, too, was experienced together, and Kurt hadn't known before Blaine had entered his life just how _deeply _he could ache for another person. He loved his dad, and Carole, and _Finn, _but Blaine was Blaine, and he occupied his own separate, deserving, weighty category of Kurt's attention. When he was sick, Kurt ached to heal him; when he was hurt, Kurt longed to erase the pain. There were sleepless nights of commiseration where neither of them got any rest because they couldn't bear to be apart when one was suffering. It seemed hopelessly overtaxing, worrying about his own concerns and worrying about Blaine and his concerns as well, but it was a burden that Kurt carried gratefully.

Because he would take every moment of tension for the good that Blaine brought into his life. Food tasted better in Blaine's presence; movies were even more captivating; and long walks were gifts, not burdens. It was a privilege to watch Blaine's face light up with a smile, to feel his arms curl around Kurt's waist and his cheek against the back of his shoulder, humming softly with so much affection for him. No matter how long the nights may be, the mornings were always sweeter with Blaine at his side, sometimes presenting him with breakfast-in-bed and other times still caught in the throes of sleep, utterly relaxed and trusting in Kurt's company.

That was the most profound change in Kurt's life: having someone who trusted him completely. Blaine trusted him to be there when the storm clouds rolled in, to be there at every success and failure, to see him at his best and worst. He trusted Kurt not to judge his seven AM bedhead or his sweaty, radiant afterglow. He trusted Kurt not to marginalize his problems or silence his voice, to listen and to extend help when needed. Most of all he trusted Kurt to love him as deeply as Blaine loved Kurt in return.

Kurt could still remember a time before Blaine, but with each passing day it was becoming more difficult to remember a life before him. Not because he hadn't had one, but because the sharpness of his experiences – the depth of his love, the acuteness of his pain – had never been equaled. There was something about Blaine's presence that made him feel like the world had more color than before, as though every flower on earth had been budding for years and suddenly, unexpectedly come into bloom.

Blinking awake, he relaxed when he realized that the noise that he'd heard was just the curtain swishing back. Blaine padded almost soundlessly across the room, stripping into just his boxers before climbing onto bed beside Kurt, careful not to jostle it too much. Humming softly, Kurt rolled onto his side so he could scoot closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying his face against his shoulder as Blaine tucked his own arm around Kurt's back and kissed his forehead.

He'd had a life before Blaine, but Blaine was a part of his life, now, and he wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
